The Nullarbor Plain is the Australian desert-like plain crossed by the world’s longest straight railway section.
The Nullarbor is a vast, nearly treeless limestone plain along the southern coast of Australia, extending across parts of Western Australia and South Australia. Its name comes from Latin: nullus means “no” and arbor means “tree.” The plain is famous for its flat terrain, dramatic coastal cliffs, sparse vegetation, and long distances between settlements.
The Trans-Australian Railway crosses the Nullarbor, including a famously straight section about 478 kilometres long between the Western Australian settlements of Loongana and Nurina. The Nullarbor is often called a desert, although it is more precisely a large arid karst plain. It differs from Australia’s sandy inland deserts, such as the Simpson and Great Victoria deserts, because limestone bedrock dominates its surface.